The Iconic Hip Hop Shop In Detroit Set To Reopen

You might remember the basement where B Rabbit did work on stage in the movie “8 Mile”. Well, that venue was based on the real life “Hip Hop Shop” in Detroit.

“The Hip Hop Shop, a clothing store and Rap venue, was opened by two Detroit natives, Jerome Mongo and Maurice Malone, in 1993. Eminem, his fellow D-12 members and other rappers performed in the venue throughout the 1990s. The store/venue hosted open mic Rap battles every Saturday until its closing in 1998″ (mlive.com)

The shops owners recently discussed their plans for re launching the historic site:

“It will be a whole different vibe,” Mongo says, as per mlive.com. “It’s going to be totally different clothing. The scene isn’t going to be recreated. It’s going to be totally different.”

“Detroit Hip Hop started from this place called the Rhythm Kitchen,” Elzhi said. “From my understanding, because I was too young to go there, it was like a restaurant. And Maurice Malone, Proof and a few other cats used to just bust freestyles in the Rhythm Kitchen…just having a little cypher. That grew into Maurice Malone’s place that was on 7 Mile Road and Foyer called The Hip Hop Shop. The Hip Hop Shop was like a clothing store that turned into an open mic on Saturdays from 4:00 to 6:00. You had Proof hosting, and it was crazy.”

Check out this dope video explaining the history behind the venue below: